Join the Conversation

THURSDAY TV: ‘Mom’

Mike Hughes
Published 11:50 p.m. PT Feb. 10, 2016

In this 2003 file photo, a Japanese shopper sits on a sofa and watches a movie on a large screen TV at a home theater promotion corner at Ishimaru Denki electrical appliance store in Tokyo’s Akihabara district.(Photo: ASSOCIATED PRESS)

TONIGHT’S MUST-SEE: “Mom,” 9 p.m., CBS. Christy’s nevere been good at resisting temptation, you know. Like her mom (the brassy Bonnie), she’s a recovering alcoholic; like her mom AND her daughter, she was a pregnant teen-ager.

But now comes towering temptation. When a handsome hunk (Joe Manganiello) joins her AA group, she falls instantly in love. She also knows that the rules forbid a romance. Another story has Bonnie accompanying Jill (Jamie Pressly) to an elegant fundraiser. That one is big and broad, with a great sight gag; the real fun, however, is watching the quiet perfection of Anna Faris as Christy.

That starts with a patient attacking Meredith, who hovers near death. Penny finds her and the entire staff springs into action. “Scandal” and “How to Get Away with Murder” follow, on a big night.

TONIGHT’S ALTERNATIVE: “American Idol,” 8-10 p.m., Fox. For this final season, “Idol” is trying to mine memories from its first 14 years. Tonight, it brings back many of the past people — some of them winners, some not — as mentors and duet partners.

On Wednesday, half of the show’s top 24 performed. Now we’ll see those 12 mix with the returning people and we’ll learn who’s through. Next week, the same thing happens to the other 12.

Other choices include:

“You, Me and the Apocalypse,” 8 p.m., NBC. Already bizarre, this became even weirder when we learned that mild Jamie has an evil twin. Now he’s held hostage by the twin’s ex-girlfriend. Rhonda and Leanne (Jenna Fischer and Megan Mullally) try to steal from a gruff loner (Nick Offerman, Mullally’s husband), while others fret about a comet destroying Earth. This is inconsistent, but worth trying.

“The Big Bang Theory,” 8 p.m., CBS. What can Sheldon and Amy do for Valentine’s Day? Naturally, they have a live edition of his “Fun With Flags” podcast. Also, Raj is suddenly pondering two women, Leonard and Penny face being older and Howard and Bernadette find a surprise in the hot tub.

Debate, 9-11 p.m. ET, PBS and CNN. PBS’ Gwen Ifill and Judy Woodruff anchor a Democratic debate from Milwaukee. It’s the first one after the New Hampshire primary; Republicans are Saturday on CBS.

“Scandal” return, 9 p.m., ABC. We jump ahead to six months after Olivia broke up with the president. As they deal with it in different ways, her firm handles a case that could lead to a national crisis.

“How to Get Away With Murder” return, 10 p.m., ABC. A few weeks after Wes shot Annalise (Emmy-winner Viola Davis), she faces a tough recovery. Wes and the other students deal with the aftermath.

“Portlandia,” 10 p.m., IFC. Vincent the goth (Fred Armisen) tries the beach. There’s also “Baskets” at 10 or 11:03 p.m. on FX, but its episode crosses the line between dark comedy and deep despair.

“London Spy,” 10-11:15 p.m., BBC America. After continuing its sleepy pace, “Spy” suddenly has a fierce urgency (complete with pounding drum beat) in the final minutes, setting up next week’s finale.